The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-07-13
TIE DEADLY TORNADO.
LOSSES IN THE UNITED STATES EST,
MATED AT $500, 600, 900.

Tornado-Centering Regions Frequency of
Cyclones In tho mississippi Valloy--I885
| Mild Tornado Year.
The terrible destruction OF life and
property by tornadoes at this season
causes much fear in several States. Re
cent Investigations by Lieutenant John
L. Finlay, signal service, United States
army, reveal to some extent the danger
Ill each region, which will do much to
allay unnecessary alarm in the Eastern
States. At the same time other regions
before thought to be comparatively sale
arc found to be moro dangerous than
had been supposed.
The first striking result Of the cXami-
nation of Lieutenant Finlay's map, show
ing the geographical distribution of tor
nadocs from 1882 to 1886 inclusive is
that they uniformly avoid extended
mountain ranges The Rocky Noun
tains present SO insurmouDtablC u barri-
or that the country lying west of this
great range is almost entirely FREQ from
the long, violent tornado tracts seen in
Kansas and Missouri. 1t is known that
storm cCntcrs which form west of the
| Rocky Mountains arc impcricctly de-
vclopCI, and are not persistent or vio-
| lent III their course until the Mississippi
valley is reached. Tornadocs form at m
average distance of I53 miles southeast
of the main storm center, rs shown i'll
forty one cases cited by Professor H. \.
liazcn, of the signal service. 1t follows
that the cold mir from the foot of the
Rocky Mountains, coming in tho wake
OF aud eastward moving storm manifest
ing unusually low barometer, causes
sharp contrasts of temperature i'll Kansas
and Missouri, and these contrasts, some
times rs much as fifty degrees, result III
great tornado frequency in northwestern
Missouri and northern Kansas. 1t is
further shown by the distribution Of
| tornado tracts that the average Of scvcri-
ty and destruction steadily lessons as the
storm cCntorS move CastwarH from tnc
Mississippi valley. This waning OF tor
nado power is gradual, but the Danger
does not entirely cease as the Atlantic
coast is approached. The coast lines of
| the Gulf of Mexico and of the Atlantic
ocean arc nearly free from tornadocs,
because gleat contrasts accompanying
| storm ccntcrs cannot develop, owing 10
tho cGualizing effect Of the ocean tenn
pcraturc and moisture.
IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.
OF the total number of tornadoes re-
| ported nearly one half occur in the Mis-.
sissippi valley, which is the region of
greatest violence. The lapse of time
must make this even moro marked, be-
cause the records Of the Eastern States
cover much longer period, while the
number of tornadocs is less The region
of greatest frequency is along the north
and west boundary lines of Missouri, iu-
creasing toward the point of intersection.
Then comes northwestern Georgia cX-
tending into Alabama. \ very solid and
compact region OF tornado development
is in southern Michigan, tending toward
| the lower part of lakC Michigan. For a
distance OF about 300 miles square, this
region nearly equals that of Kansas in
frequency, though it has not more than
onc-tenth its extent, and its average Sc
verify is far less. In the Eastern State,
the most remarkable region nCXt to
western New York, is in the Connecticut
river valley, which seems to be persist.
emily followed by tornadocs through
Connecticut and Massachusetts, into New
favors the development of small lorna
do with n tract about mile or half
mile long, and from two hundred to five
hundred feet III width Western Con-
nccticut and Massachusetts favor the
accumulation of warm air from the
southwest, which moves steadily north
ward, while Pennsylvania, Virginia and
western Delaware remain cool, this
causing sharp contrasts OF temperature.
In southeastern Pennsylvania the bond
| OF the Delaware river there IS a group of
tornadoCs ccntcring near Trenton, n. j.
| Southeast of Lakes Erie and Ontario
there is also lively region, which is an
extension due to the still high contrasts
OF temperature common III the Nlissis-
sippi valley and southeastern Michigan.
In northeastern Mississippi there is n
very marked extension of the Georgia
and Alabama region, though not quite
cqualin8 it i'll frequency.
| LOSSES or LIFE AND PROPERTY.
The value of property reported to the
signal service as destroyed in 2OJ years
years was about $2S, 00O, 600. Lieutenant
Finlny estimates this to be about one
tenth the actual value, making the total
losses about $500, 900, 600.
The number Of deaths reported was
| ), 100, and the injured J,Ol9.
These figures are doubtless much be
low tho actual damage, because tornado
reports include the main facts only The
transmission of news is partly obstruct-
cd, and isolated regions escape report.
| The comparison of number Of torna-
does, with the amount of forest land by
States, according to the United States
census, indicates that these storms are
not appreciatcly influenced by the pres
cnco or absence of forests. Tornadoes
arc caused by the persistent movement
and accumulation of air masses on an
immense scale. Forests and other local
features of landscape have little effect.
The signal service reported $50 torna-
does for 1886, 136 for 1885, 200 for 1884,
l61 for 1883, and from that time back to
| 1870 the number diminishes to 8. This
does not represent change in the actual
number, but only indicates additional